1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to burner tripods and more particularly pertains to a new folding propane cooker with inlet support brace for providing a propane cooker that has improved air ventilation, more robust hinged couplings, and an improved inlet which is less susceptible to being inadvertently detached.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of burner tripods is known in the prior art. More specifically, burner tripods heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art burner tripods include U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,308; U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,540; U.S. Pat. No. 4,949,701; U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,857; U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,118; and U.S. Pat. No. Des 256,316.
The prior art burner tripods further includes that which is shown in FIGS. 1-3. Such tripod includes a cylindrical central member with two legs pivotally mounted thereon and a third leg fixed with respect to the central member. The foregoing pivotal coupling is accomplished by way of an inferior compression fitting. The central member has a height which is approximately equal to that of the inboard extents of the legs. As shown in FIG. 3, a bottom face of the tripod has a bottom face with a washer welded therein for reasons that will soon become apparent. The prior art tripod further includes an inlet pipe which is constructed from a bendable brake line. As shown in FIG. 3, the brake line has a vertically oriented inboard portion welded within an aperture of the washer and having a grease zert mounted to a top end thereof. As such, ventilation is precluded. The prior art tripod further includes a horizontally oriented outboard portion spaced below the bottom face of the central member and extending therefrom in an adjacent spaced relationship with the fixed leg. As shown in FIGS. 1 & 2, the horizontally oriented outboard portion extends past an outboard extent of the fixed leg whereat a coupler is positioned for connecting with a gas supply hose. The inlet tube of the prior art tripod is highly susceptible to being broken off. The prior art device is constructed from a stainless metal.
In these respects, the folding propane cooker with inlet support brace according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a propane cooker that has improved air ventilation, more robust hinged couplings, and an improved inlet which is less susceptible to being inadvertently detached.